Pressure fuel tank



Dec. 15 1925- w. H. DUNKERLEY PRESSURE FUEL TANK Filed Sept; 22, 1924 Jnz/nZor: %;gw

Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM Hi DUNKERLEY, OI" PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

PRESSURE FUEL TANK.

Application filed September 22, 1924. Serial No. 739,050.

To (17/ 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVInLni'M: H. DUN- iuninnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Patersoinin the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pressure Fuel Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to tanks adapted to contain liquid fuel such as kerosene, under air pressure, for delivery to a hydrocarbon burner, and the object of the invention is to provide a closed tank, with means for easily supplying liquid fuel to its interior and for creating and maintaining the desired air pressure therein, and for delivering the fuel reliably anduniforlnly,and which shall be simple in construction, easily operated, ellicient and safe.

The invention consists-in certain novel features, and details of construction by which the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described and clain1ed-.

The accompanying drawings form. a part of this specification and show the invention as it has been carried out in practice.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved tank, with certain portions of its equipment shown in elevation. V

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1 and partly in plan view.

Figure 3 is a vertical section, partly in elmmtion, showing the delivery connection on a larger scale.

Figure 4: is a vertical section sl'iowing the pump plunger and a portion of its cylinder. Y Similar reference numerals indicate the some parts in all the figures.

The body 5 of the tank is cylindrical, vertieall y disposed, with. its ends closed by dowmvardly cornizaved heads 6 and 7 tightly joined thereto. A central o g iening in the upper head 6 receives an internally screw threaded collar 8 joined. to the head by its flange 9, and receives a screwplug 10 to which is joined the downwardly extending axially disposed tube 11 serving as a cylin der for a plunger received. therein and as a channel. for delivering liquid fuel to the in lerior of the tank.

In the plug 10 are passages 12 leading from the lower portion of the dished upper head 6 directly to the interior of the cylinder 11 so that liquid fuel poured upon the upper head flows through the passages 12 into the cylinder. A central opening in the plug 10 receives and guides the plunger rod 13, which latter is equipped with a cross-handle 14: by which the rod. and plunger may be reciproeated. A domed cover 15 hinged to the body 5 at 16 encloses the handle M and etlectually seals and protects the upper end of the body and upper head 6.

At the lower end of the cylinder 11 isa cap 17 equipped with a downward]y-open ing valve 18 held normally closed by a light spring 19. andv through which the contents of the cylinder may pass freely under the slight pressure necessary to unseat the valve 18.

The plunger comprises a cup-leather 20 held to the flanged lower end 21 of the plunger rod by a tubular nut 22 having a flange 23, screwed upon therod extension 2 1. A dished loose washer is mounted on the nut 22 and is forced upward within the cup-leather to hold the latter expanded, by the expansive force of a light spring 26 enclosing the nut 22 and abutting at one end against the flange 23 and at the other against the under face of the washer.

Extending diagonally downward in the tankis a delivery pipe 27 with its open lower end reaching nearly to the lower head 7 and enclosed in a conical skirt 28 adapted to prevent the entrance of floating particles likely to clog the small bore of the pipe. The upper end of the pipe 27 extends through the wall of the body 5 just below the upper head 6, through a chamber in a hemispherical casing or shell 29 which seals the opening in such wall and projects on the exterior thereof, and is received in a stuffing-box 80 screwed into the casing, the gland 31 of which has a central passage 32 terminating in a. transverse passage 33 controlledhy a needle valve 34; and connected to a pipe 35 leading to the burnery not shown, or other device to be supplied with fuel.

Extending laterally from the casing 29 is a pressure gauge 36 by which the air pressure in the tank may be determined.

The operation is as follows :-'-The cover 15 is thrown open and liquid fuel poured upon the depressed upper head 6, which serves as a large funnel for its reception, escaping through the passages 12 to the interior of the cylinder 11 and thence past the cup-leather 20 and valve 18 to the in 'terior of the tank which is thus partially filled. The handle let is then grasped and the plunger rod 13 reciprocated; the first few strokes drives the liquid fro-m the cylinder and the succeeding strokes force air, entering the passages 12, past the valve 1.8 to the interior of the tank. The reciprocations are continued until the gauge 36 shows the desired air pressure above the liquid is attained. The needle valve 34 is then opened and the liquid fuel driven by the air pressure traverses the pipe 27 to and past the needle valve and is delivered through the pipe 35 to the burner or other point of consumption. After raising the pressure in the tank to the desired degree, the cover 15 is closed and the contents of the tank, and the surface of the upper head 6, protected from danger of accidental ignition. lVhen the pressure falls below the desired degree as indicated by the gauge, the cover is lifted and a few strokes of the plunger again raises the pressure.

The opening in the collar 8 is large enough to permit the introduction and withdrawal of the cylinder 11 by simply an screwing the plug 10 and removing the lat ter with the cylinder attached, and the screw plug 37 in a boss 38 on the upper face of the lower head 7 affords means for draining the tank and removing any sediment therefrom.

The casing 29 affords convenient selfcontained means for receiving the delivery end of the pipe 27 and for controlling the flow to the pipe 35, and also a point of attachment for the pressure gauge 36, all independent of the tank body 5.

The whole provides a convenient and safe container for liquid fuel which is easily supplied thereto and the desired air pressure maintained therein to insure efficient and uniform delivery.

It will be noted that the supply of fuel in the tank may be replenished without in terrupting the flow to the burner; additional fuel may be added at any time by simply pouring it upon the upper head and making the few strokes of the plunger necessary to transfer it to the interior of the tank, and such transference takes place without increasing the air pressure except to the slight degree due to the displacement of air by the added volume of fuel.

I claim The tank described comprising a body having a closed bottom and a depressed upper head, a collar on said head, a screw plug in said collar, a cylinder depending from said plug interiorly of said body, passages in said plug leading from the upper face of said head to the interior of said cylinder and constituting the only means of flow of the fuel into the tank, a self-closing downwardly opening valve at the lower end of said cylinder, a cup-leather plunger in the latter, a plunger rod extending from said plunger through. and guided by said plug, a handle on the upper end of said rod, a cover arranged to close the upper end of said body and enclose said head and handle,

and a delivery pipe extending from a low point in the interior of said body through the wall thereof.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I afiix my signature hereto.

WILLIAM H. DUNKERLEY. 

